Apparatus for extracting oil from shales



Aug. 2l, w23. BALSZW J. MAYES ET Al.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM SHALES Original Filed Aug. 16, 1920 /NvENToRs A TORNE Y Patented Aug. 2li, E923.

JOHN' HAYES AND REBER HOMRIGHOUS, 0F WICHITA, KANSAS.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING OIL FROM SHALES.

Application led August 16, 1920, Serial No. 403,883. Renewed .Tune 8, 1923.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, JOHN MAYES and REBER HoMRIGHoUs, citizens of the United States, and residents of Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in an Apparatus for Extracting il from Shales, of which the following is a description, referring to the drawings which accompany this specification.

The invention relates to a process,mecha nism and retort adapted to receive crushed` or powdered shale in suitable quantities, to heat and drive off the oil elements as a as undeprived of its qualities, the gas being later condensed and stored as oil in containers such as may be provided.` Itis to be understood that a plurality of retorts, arranged in a series may be employed; a distinguishing feature of the invention resides in the fact that vthe incoming shales do not float upon the lead or other suitable molten mass; the molten mass, hereinafter called lead, being entirel f enclosed within a receptacle as later eXp ained. No shrinkage of the lead content will therefore occur.

n thedrawings, F ig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line X-X in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine with parts broken'v away for convenience of illustration. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken along the line Y-Y, Fig. 2. Similar numerals of reference indicate correspondin parts throughout the drawings.

ferring to the drawings, 10 represents suitable supporting walls for the mechanism; a bed for supporting the lead content comprises a plurality of plates 11. 11 etc., flanged as at 12, 12,.etc., along the Sides and upturned edges and securely bolted together as at 13, 13, etc.

Within the walls 10 and beneath the bed 11, a re 1d is to be considered maintained during the operation of the device and a smoke pipe leads therefrom` as at 15 to dispose of the smoke gases. Spaced above the bed 11 is a second bed plate 16 whichv as seen in Figs, 1 and 3 is secured to portions 17 forming the sides and ends of the shale receiving container 18 which in turn is secured to the upturned end and side walls of the bed 11, edectually sealing an enclosure 19 between the hed 11 and plate 16 and within which enclosure lead 2O is confined and which during ring operations becomes a molten mass.

A plate 21 is secured above the portions 17 and seals the container 18.

Through a hopper 22, shale is admitted to the container 18. Paddles 23 are transversely arranged within the container 18 at spaced lIntervals and depending from bars 24, 24e connecting to cranks 25, 25 on shafts 26, 26 driven by wheels 27, 27 by means not disclosed.

As the cranks 25 revolve, the paddles 23 are given suitable motion to carry the shale as received through the hopper, outwardly in .the direction of the arrow. The fire has heated the lead to a molten mass so that the heat therefrom in turn acts upon the plate 16 and upon which the shale is traveling; oil or gaseous elements are thus driven from the shale and collected in any desired manner, the shale residue leaving the container 18 through the orifice or hopper 28 which may lead to another container or to a waste ile as may be found preferable. The top p ate 16 being equally heated by the molten lead 20 revents it from warping.

y this process molten lead is introduced between the firing element and the shale. During the time the shale is being worked through the retort or retorts, the heat causes the oil elements to separate from the shale and pass into a gas. These gas elements are drawn off through the pipes 28, 29, 30 andy 31, leading to condensers-not shown. As different products of crude oil are obtained at different temperatures, the gas that is liberated in the forepart of the receiving retort is taken off' through the pipe 28 and so on with reference to the remaining pipes, each pipe carrying away gaseous elements somewhat different from that taken away by its neighboring pipe elements, due solely to its proximity to the gaseous elements as obtained by the temperature of the shale and time element involved. The advantages claimed for this machine are that its action is positive, speedy and continuous and no products are deprived of valuable constituents as is the case in the type of retorts at present in use. Should one of the plates 11 burn out, a new section can be readily substitiited therefor by simply loosening the bolts 13 to make the change. The flanges 12 are of further advantage in prcventin warping of the plates under heating conditions.

Such modifications may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claims.

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Having fully described our invention, what we now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.`In a retort of the class described, a sealed enclosure, horizontally disposed con taining molten lead, a container, horizontally disposed and arranged above the enclosure and a plurality of vapor outlets leading therefrom; a pair of shafts revolvably mounted, one at either end of the container and each having crank means operable thereby, bars connecting between said crank means and paddles at spaced` intervals transversely arranged within the container and depending from said bars towards the enclosure.

2. In a retort of the class described, an enclosure horizontally disposed for molten lead, the bed thereof comprising a plurality series, a container above the enclosure having its bed plate secured to the sides and upturned edges of said plates to effectually seal said enclosure and a plurality of vapor outlets leading therefrom; a pair of revolvable shafts, one at either end of said container and each provided with crank means, bars connecting between said crank means; and paddles at spaced intervals, transversely arranged within the container and depending from said bars towards the enclosure.

JOHN MAYES. REBER HGBUtIGI-IOUS. Witnesses:

M. Y. CHARLES, WM. L. DE HAVEN. 

